


Blood on the Moon

by astrivikia



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angus gets his first period, Coming Out, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Menstruation, No beta we die like mne, Trans Angus McDonald, Trans Male Character, and hopefully not getting anything wrong with this, author is cis, though the symptoms are probably a bit more extreme than an actual first period
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:41:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24052288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astrivikia/pseuds/astrivikia
Summary: Angus gets his first period, and tries his best to handle it himself.  That plan doesn't last long.
Relationships: Angus McDonald & Taako, Magnus Burnsides & Angus McDonald, The Director | Lucretia & Angus McDonald
Comments: 11
Kudos: 182





	Blood on the Moon

Angus's sleep was fitful. The early hours of the morning were spent tossing and turning in bed, a vague discomfort weighing down his insides and cutting through his rest. He wasn't awake enough to pinpoint the problem, but the pain kept drawing him back toward consciousness.

When he finally managed to shake off sleep, it was as though a ball of heat had settled heavily in his stomach. He grimaced, rolling over and blindly reaching for the lamp on his bedside table. Once his fingers found the switch, he found himself squeezing his eyes shut against the sudden brightness.

The soft, warm toned light burned at his eyelids and after a slow, measured breath, he reopened his eyes, squinting against the brightness. He sat up gingerly, mind searching for the source of his discomfort. And then he caught a splotch of red in his peripheral vision.

He went still, letting his gaze fix on the source. Red splotches on his sheets. Or rather, bloodstains on his sheets.

He fumbled for his glasses, groggy mind still piecing the clues together. It wasn't a lot of blood by any means, but it was still an alarming thing to wake up to. He just stared at it for a long moment, processing. It almost certainly wasn't an external injury. That wouldn't make sense with the evidence he'd been presented.

He pushed off the blankets still tangled around his legs, making his way across the room to the en-suite bathroom. He had a sinking feeling he knew what was happening. He just, he thought he'd have more time to figure out how to handle this.

He wasn't quite eleven yet, still fairly young to start his period if everything he'd read was to be believed. Still, it wasn't unheard of.

He took a moment to just breath and ground himself.

Angus was not one of those kids who thought he was dying, thank you very much. It was just a little blood after all, he could handle this. Still. It was just- it just felt so wrong.

He'd known it would happen eventually, just one of the ways his body disagreed with him. What he hadn't anticipated was being on a fake moon when it did start.

If he was honest with himself, he'd hoped he'd find some sort of loophole out of ever experiencing it. Surely there had to be some sort of spell, or magic that could help with matters like this.

When he'd been living with his parents they hadn't wanted him to research such matters. They- well they hadn't agreed with a lot of who Angus was.

He shook the thoughts away, worrying at his bottom lip. There may not be a spell to get rid of this, certainly not one he knew how to cast.

But he could at least get rid of the blood on his sheets with prestidigitation.

He made his way back out to the bedroom, grabbing his wand and surveying the sheets more critically than before.

He guessed he'd caught it reasonably early, and let himself feel some relief as he cast the spell, watching the evidence fade from view. One problem handled.

That done, Angus retreated back to the small bathroom, fumbling with the shower until the water ran hot.

Okay. He stepped under the spray, letting himself sink to the floor after a moment's hesitation, and watching the tendrils of red swirl down the drain, fading quickly to a muted pink.

First things first, he needed some sort of absorbent fabric that he could layer under his clothes to deal with the blood. He could figure that out. The fantasy Costco might sell reusable fabric pads. An uneasiness slid into his thoughts.

That might raise unwelcome questions given how small the bureau was. Rumors and information could spread quickly. Maybe he could just use a makeshift solution until he could go planetside and get supplies more discreetly.

Breathing in the steam, he let the warmth ease the ache in his midriff. He could do this.

* * *

Taako had gotten used to the way Angus would arrive to magic lessons brimming with excitement. The kid was usually rocking on the balls of his feet, looking up at him expectantly.

That wasn't the case today. His movements were slower, more cautious, more tired. Taako watched Angus out of the corner of his eye, a frown tugging at his lips.

The kid had assured him he was fine, just tired, and offered him a strained file. And fuck, it probably was nothing and he should just take the kid at his word. Nerd had probably gotten caught up in research or something.

So he shoved any concern, which he would deny anyway, to the back of his mind to focus on the lesson. He realized quickly that would be a failing strategy.

Kid was wired as shit, shoulders coiled with an uncharacteristic tension. Each concept that failed to land made the frustrated furrow between his brows deepen.

Taako found himself shifting more and more to observing Angus as opposed to his magic. The kid's lips were twisted like he was physically uncomfortable, and his grip on his wand was far too tight.

The magic flickered and died again, making Angus's scowl deepen, and for a second it looked like the kid might actually throw his wand across the room in frustration. Then his shoulders slumped, and he just looked upset.

“Hey, bubbeleh, why don't we call it a day?” Taako said, tone intentionally light.

Angus breathed out shakily, jaw working for a moment before he nodded stiffly. “I- alright sir. Sor- I mean, thank you. I promise I'll be more alert next lesson.”

Taako waved the kid off. “Hey, don't sweat it. Sometimes it's just an off day, go get some rest. You look like you're 'bout to fucking drop.”

* * *

He didn't go back to his room to rest.

Angus let himself lean heavily against a wall when he was sure he was far enough away that Taako wasn't going to materialize behind him. All he wanted to do was sink to the ground and curl up in a ball.

He needed.... he needed someone who would know better than him how to handle this. He hated admitting it, but he needed an adult.

He sorted through the bureau members in his head. He needed another human, he... he couldn't remember with certainty which other races menstruated. And he should really know this.

Frowning, he filed that as a problem for later. The Director. She would know about this. He pushed reluctantly away from the wall.

He hated how childish this all made him feel.

* * *

A soft knock drew Lucretia out of her paperwork, gaze drifting to the door.

“M-madam director?” The voice of Angus McDonald rang from outside the door, an uncharacteristic tremor coloring his words.

Her eyebrows drew together in concern. “Angus, please come in, I was just working on some paperwork.” She set her quill down.

There was a soft click as the bureau's youngest member opened the door. His face was twisted unhappily, and he listed a bit toward the doorframe like all he really wanted was to lean against it.

“I- are you alright Angus?”

His eyes skated away from her searching gaze, hands gripping his arms protectively. “I'm sorry to disturb you m'am. I- I really thought I'd be able to handle this myself.”

“Why don't you sit down, then you can explain to me what exactly is going on.”

“It's not really a big deal. Well, I mean, it kind of is. But not in a way that you... have to be worried?” He slumped down into the offered chair, curling his knees up to his chest so he was in a ball. “And... and I'd really appreciate it if this conversation was just kept between us. I- it's kind of a personal matter, and- and everyone doesn't need to know so....”

His eyes raised to meet hers, a whole tangled mess of emotions warring inside their brown depths. A resolute defiance stood out the most, like he was just waiting for her to dare challenge him on something.

“If it's a mere personal matter as you say, then of course I will respect your wish for privacy Angus.” She resisted the urge to fidget, instead steepling her fingers in front of her.

He nodded, seeming to deflate. “I- the truth is that- well I'm experiencing menstruation for the first time.” Lucretia’s train of thought screeched to a halt as she processed that. Whatever she’d been expecting out of this conversation, this was not it.

If any of her surprise showed on her face Angus didn’t seem to notice as he continued, “It's all sort of a lot. And.. well, it's not exactly- not a lot of other races here, I wasn't sure if they experienced it, so I didn't want to go and talk to Miss Carey or Killian about it. And you're.... well you're the only person I could think of who might have advice from experience for me and I didn't really know what else to do-” Angus's words had gotten progressively faster, tumbling forth like a dam had broken once he finally got past the initial explanation.

He sucked in a breath, trying to regain some composure. “I wasn't expecting it to- it just hurts more than I thought it would. But I- I don't want people to see me differently if they find out. And it's not exactly a large base, so if one person finds out then it's only a matter of time before everyone knows. And I just- I don't want it to change things.”

Lucretia held up a hand, offering a small, sympathetic smile. “Angus, take a breath for me.”

He nodded, some tension easing from his shoulders at her smile.

She tried to find the words, organize them into something that would help. And something painful curled inside her as she realized she truly didn’t possess the words to explain to Angus why at the very least this wouldn’t change how the reclaimers viewed him.

She wished Lup was here right now; she would have advice for Angus. A level of understanding she couldn’t quite offer. But Lup was gone, had been gone for a long time.

The memories of her fellow IPRE team helping Lucretia when her own periods had gotten especially bad flitted through her mind. Memories of Magnus making her a blanket nest and wrapping her up in warm comfort or Taako producing chocolate of unknown origin.

She shoved the memories away, focusing on the now, and cleared her throat around the lump that had settled there. "Trust me when I tell you that I know the reclaimers well enough to know they wouldn't care about something like this."

Angus regarded her dubiously, clearly not swayed by her words. So she decided to switch to a different matter at hand.

“Do you have proper supplies?”  
  
Angus balled his hand in his lap, fidgeting with the fabric of his pant leg. “Not really m’am, no. I’ve been sort of making do with a temporary solution, just for the moment. I- I know the Fantasy Costco should have reusable pads, I just… I didn’t want any questions about it.”  
  
She sighed. “I’ll get you some proper supplies.”

“Oh, no, m’am you really don’t have to-”

"Angus, I am the Director of this bureau. I am perfectly capable of deflecting any questions should they come up, and I want you to be properly set up to deal with this." Her voice brooked no argument.

Angus just blinked up at her for a long moment as he processed. He nodded hesitantly as she started to look for something in her desk. She found what she was looking for was in one of the lower drawers, drawing out several small vials and holding them out for Angus to see.  
  
“These are a mild pain relief potion. They last a few hours and can be very useful for managing your symptoms.

He cautiously accepted them, turning them over in his hand before stowing them in his satchel. “I- thank you.”

"You're welcome. Unfortunately they won't be able to deal with any emotional fluctuations you deal with during this time, but they should at least make the whole experience easier to handle." She offered him a smile.

"Now, how about I walk you back to your room on my way to get you some supplies?" He smiled back, a little shaky at the edges, before nodding in agreement.

* * *

The director returned not too long after she dropped Angus back at his room, though he was willing to admit his perception of time might be a bit variable at the moment.

Nonetheless, he accepted the bag of supplies she offered with a soft thank you. Upon looking through the items he was surprised to find the variety of fabric patterns the pads had on them. There were several that were blue in some style or another, and one in particular that was decorated with stars.

It made something soft squirm in his chest.

After taking the pain relief potion Lucretia had provided him he let himself curl back up in his bed. He read a book for a while, shifting around in an attempt to get more comfortable.

When he finally felt the effects of the potion start to kick in he set his book and glasses aside, flicking off his lamp. It was still early, but it was probably best to try and get some rest while he was comfortable.

He didn’t know how long the effects of the potion would last and he should make the most of them.

When Angus woke up the next morning the aching pit had settled back in his abdomen. He groaned, pressing himself deeper into his mattress in the hope that it would chase away the sensation.

If he’d had more presence of mind he would have taken another potion, but his fuzzy mind was not ready for such logic.

He faded back out of the waking world.

* * *

Magnus frowned slightly as he leaned over the back of the couch in the reclaimer suite. “Hey, Taako, have you seen Angus at all today?”

The elf looked up idly from a book. “Nah, haven’t seen him since magic lessons yesterday. He seemed real wrung out though. Kid needs to learn when to take a fucking break.”

Huh. “I’m gonna go check on him. I usually see him at breakfast, but he wasn’t there.”

“Probably slept in if he knows what’s good for him.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Magnus said, tone too dubious to be an agreement. Taako just shrugged, offering a small wave as Magnus walked out the door and made his way through the halls to Angus’s room.

He didn’t see any light from underneath the kid’s door, but that could mean any number of things. He didn’t waste time pondering it, instead simply knocking. “Hey, Angus? Are you in there?”

There was a long moment of silence, and he considered that maybe the kid was up and in the library or something. But then he heard the soft shuffling of blankets, and a discontented grumble from inside the room. “‘M’ here sir.”

The voice sounded groggy, like he’d been asleep before Magnus knocked.

“Can I come in? It’s like 3 in the afternoon Ango. You okay?”

A surprised inhalation answered him from the other side of the door, followed by more shuffling. A few seconds later and the door swung open, revealing a very bedraggled looking Angus. He was wrapped in a blanket that was dwarfing him in size, face pinched with discomfort, and hair about as messy as the short style would allow.

The image might have been cute if he didn’t look so miserable. 

“Did you need something sir?”

“No, no, I just- Taako said you were kinda out of it yesterday, and then I didn’t see you today, so I thought I should check in to make sure you were okay.” He shrugged, brows knit together in concern.

“That’s- that was very kind of you sir. But I’ll be fine, really. I just- just have to wait this out, that’s all.” The kid shuffled back to his bed, sitting down on the edge. It only served to make him look even smaller.

He hadn’t closed the door though, so Magnus took it as a sign to follow him inside, dropping down to sit cross legged in front of him so they were eye level. “And what exactly are we waiting out Angus?”

The boy flushed slightly, avoiding his gaze as he mumbled, “It’s not, this is, well it’s a very personal problem sir. But I- I can handle it.”

“Uh-huh, sure,” Magnus said, though his tone didn’t sound like an agreement. “Angus can you tell me something?”

The boy nodded, eyeing him warily like he knew this was a trap but hadn’t figured out how yet.

“When did you last eat?”

“I-” He trailed off, forehead scrunching in thought. “Sometime yesterday afternoon?”

“Not great,” Magnus told him. “Have you been asleep most of that time?”  
  
He nodded.

“Are you sick?”

The kid shook his head, curling further in on himself.

“Angus, don’t bullshit me right now alright? Something’s clearly hurting you, but I can’t help if you don’t tell me what’s happening here.”

Angus had fixed his gaze resolutely on a fold of his blanket, refusing to meet his eye. “Sir, please just- you’ve got to promise you won’t tease me about this first. I-” He swallowed. “Can you do that for me?” His voice was tentative, but with the implication that he could close off if Magnus misstepped here.

“I promise Angus,” he said, trying to project as much sincerity into the words as he could. “Please tell me what’s wrong.”  
  
“I- it’s my first,” Angus stumbled on the words for a moment, grip tightening on his blanket. “It’s my first period sir.” He hurried on before Magnus could think to say anything to that. “I didn’t realize how bad… I mean, well I thought it would be easier to handle myself.”

Understanding settled over Magnus. Huh, how about that? “Hey, hey, you’re okay,” he said, trying to keep his voice soft and reassuring. “You know Julia, my wife” he amended upon realizing Angus wouldn’t know he was talking about, “She used to get bad periods too. I think I know a few things that might help.” He smiled up at Angus. “And you gotta eat something,” he added as an afterthought. “I know you may not really feel hungry, but it’ll probably help.”

The kid nodded mutely, looking a bit flustered at the sudden influx of support. Seriously, had no one ever looked after him before? Scratch that; question for later.

“Is it okay if I take you back to our suite? It’s just, it’ll be easier to help if I’m not running back and forth.” And he really didn’t want to leave the kid alone in his dark room to his solitary misery. That just wasn’t how this should go.

Anxiety flashed back across Angus’s features again. “The others really don’t need to know do they sir?”

“The others care about you too Angus, even if we’re kind of bad at showing it. Maybe Merle even knows something that can ease pain. It’s not exactly healing, so you might just be in luck,” he joked.

A slight smile tugged at his lips, even if he didn’t look fully convinced.

“Look it’ll be fine Angus, would I lie to you?”

“Absolutely sir.”

Magnus laughed softly. “Okay, that’s fair. But I’m not this time.”  
  
Angus scanned his face for a long moment, before nodding. “Alright….”  
  
“Great!”   
  
Magnus scooped Angus up in his arms, blanket and all, earning him an indignant squeak of, “Sir, I can still walk.”

“Nope.”

The kid dropped his head back against Magnus’s shoulder, pouting up at him.

* * *

Whatever Taako had been expecting when Maggie had left, it wasn’t for him to show back up with a bundle of blanket in his arms. Said bundle upon closer inspection contained one Angus McDonald.

“What the actual hell Maggie?” Taako said, starting to uncurl from the couch. Magnus didn’t give him the chance, dropping the blanketed form on the couch with him, or more accurately partly on top of him.

If Taako thought Angus had been out of it yesterday, he was clearly worse today. He let out a soft grumble of pain, trying to shift into a more comfortable position. Then he froze mid movement as he seemed to register Taako next to him, eyes wide as they flicked upward to meet the elf’s own. “Ummm, hi sir…”

Taako hesitated as well, gaze shooting briefly over to Magnus, who gave him a pointed look back, before he settled a hand against Angus’s back. “You look like shit bubbeleh, c’mere.”

He shifted Angus into a more comfortable position, running his fingers absently through the kid’s tight curls once he was settled. Brown eyes fluttered closed, and Taako tried to keep his cool as he felt Angus burrow closer to him, murmuring something unintelligible into the blanket.

It was weird to see Angus so vulnerable and obviously his age. Kid tried so hard to get everyone to take him seriously. Taako shoved down the fluttering spark of protectiveness that had flared inside his chest. Now was not the time to think too hard about it.

Instead he said, “I understood exactly none of that little man.”

The small form shifted in his arms so those brown eyes peeked up at him. And fuck, the kid had no right to look so cute and so downright miserable at the same time.

“‘M sorry sir; I told Magnus I could deal with this myself but-” Nope. Taako pressed a finger to Angus’s lips, cutting him off.

“Nuh-uh, don’t start with that bubbeleh. Magnus and I got this, capiche? Let someone look after you for once.” If he was honest, Taako had no clue what the fuck was happening right now, but he was just gonna roll with it until it became clear. Kid seemed to need it.

“Aha!” Taako’s ears pricked up at the exclamation, Magnus rushing excitedly back into the main room and holding up... a duck, or more accurately, some sort of duck cushion or stuffed animal, triumphantly.

“I’m gonna need a bit more fucking explanation there,” Taako deadpanned, arching an eyebrow. His fingers continued to weave gently through the kid's hair.

“It’s a heat pack!” Magnus explained, seeming very proud of himself. "It's got little beads inside that help distribute the warmth! And it's also adorable, so y'know win win in my books."

“Uh-huh, sure,” Taako hummed.

“I think that sounds like a great idea sir,” Angus piped up, his tired voice tinged with enthusiasm.

Magnus smiled brightly at him.

Taako rolled his eyes. “Mhmm, ya it’s great, just heat the duck.” Taako’s flippancy didn’t seem to do anything to dampen Magnus’s enthusiasm, but he did head back out of the room.

Once the other man was out of sight, Taako’s gaze fell to the kid in his lap. “So what’s the schtick here kid?”

Angus wouldn’t quite meet his eyes. “I don’t-” Taako cut him off before he could start deflecting. Nip that in the bud.

“Listen, you don’t want to talk about it that’s chill I guess. But we're not gonna, like, kick you while you're down. We may be-" Taako paused, then backtracked. "We're not monsters here."

Angus nodded, and Taako felt the hand curled against him tighten its grip on his blouse anxiously.

"Hey, you're okay pumpkin," he said, tone softening before he'd made a conscious decision on the matter.

The kid's lip wobbled. Shit.

"It's just.... I'm sorry sir. Everything is so much right now, and I look up to you all a lot and I- I don't want this to change anything."

"Whatever's going on ain't gonna change shit little man." Taako replied without hesitation.

Something strange flitted across Angus's face. Vulnerable and hopeful and resigned all at once.

"My body doesn't match." Angus blurted out, and then flushed. "That- I mean-" The gears in Taako's mind spun on that phrase, teasing out meaning as Angus tried to clarify. "I'm a boy, but I wasn't- I wasn't born a boy?"

Something clicked. "Your trans, got it." Taako said. "The word you're looking for is trans little man."

A look of relief at the easy response washed over Angus's face. "I- yes?"

"That still doesn't quite answer what's happening right now though." Taako breezed on.

“I- well, do elves have periods sir?” Angus ventured.

Taako’s nose scrunched, the rest of the pieces falling into place. “It’s not quite the same but ya, more or less. From what I hear it fucking sucks. My condolences kid.”

A surprised laugh tumbled out of Angus. "Thanks, I guess?"

Taako smirked slightly. "Geez, no wonder you were so grumpy yesterday. Should have told me to fuck off and pick up lessons later."

Magnus chose that moment to come back, carrying the duck. "I bring warmth!"

"It's about fucking time!"

"Hey, you have to do these things properly."

Taako snagged a pillow and chucked it at Magnus's head.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope people like this! I originally was going to have a section with Merle too but couldn't get it working.


End file.
